Good farming practices reduce the need for pesticides

Good farming practices reduce the need for pesticides – Michael Otu Bisong has learned how to prevent plant diseases effectively with a smaller amount of chemicals.

Michael Otu Bisong, 64, a Nigerian policeman turned cocoa farmer, joined Fazer’s grower programme in 2014. At the time, the location and size of his farm were surveyed: he had 4.06 hectares of cultivated land.

Inspired by what he had learned through the grower programme, Bisong replaced traditional methods with good agricultural practices. He had not recorded his crops before joining Fazer’s grower programme, but his first measured crop was 2,225 kilos, and his yields have since been increasing year after year.

Good agricultural practices have also enabled Bisong to stop using pesticides, which has considerably reduced his farming expenses. Many traditional farms continue to use large amounts of chemicals, which causes significant costs for farmers and unnecessarily burdens the environment.